Build and Grow your e-Business
Quick Guide
Ready to Build and Grow Your e-Business?
Take your business idea to the next level with "Build and Grow Your e-Business"—a FREE online course designed to help you establish, refine, and thrive in the digital marketplace.
Through interactive modules, you’ll master branding, online visibility, legal essentials, and website development—everything you need to launch or scale your e-business with confidence. Whether you're starting fresh or strengthening an existing venture, this course provides practical skills and expert insights to help you succeed in today’s competitive e-commerce world.
Module 1: Identify Your Business
Week 1 - Choose your Business
In this session, you'll kickstart your eBusiness journey.
Find your perfect business idea or refine the one you have with expert guidance.
Identify your target audience and learn why knowing your customers is the key to success
Struggling with a business name? We’ll help you create one that stands out!
Plus, discover the importance of market research and learn practical strategies to analyze your industry and competition effectively.
Where do great ideas come from?
If you are looking for business ideas, the next video will inspire you!
After you watch the Ted Talks video below, consider a few ideas for businesses you could start based on your skills and interests. This will help you later on as we start with activities to help you build your business!
Market Research
How can you conduct market research effectively? To find out, watch the one-minute video below.
Keep in mind, knowledge is power in the world of entrepreneurship! Also below, you will find some tools and platforms that can help you conduct the research.
Google Trends, Google Forms, Facebook Audience Insights, LinkedIn Audience Demographics, Google Keyword Planner.
Week 2 - Plan your Business
In this session, you'll build a strong foundation for your business!
Turn your vision into reality with smart business planning strategies.
Design a memorable logo that truly reflects your brand identity. Explore the psychology of colors, fonts, and design to craft a standout logo.
Use mood boards to define your brand’s visual direction and creative identity.
Kickstart your Business Plan with a compelling Mission Statement that defines your purpose.
Where do great ideas come from?
To get ready to unlock the secrets to building a brand that leaves a lasting impression, take 5 minutes with the Big Think video to learn how the biggest brands in the World, such as Nike and Apple, have succeeded, in great part, due to branding. You will be surprised!
Ready to dive deeper, enroll in the FREE course today and access more information to help you in your eBusiness journey.
Why Companies are ‘Debranding’
Before you dive into designing your business logo and brand, it's worth noting that many successful companies are opting for a simplified approach to their logos. Discover why and how in the Bloomberg Quicktake video below—it's a valuable resource as you embark on designing your own logo!
Module 2: Build your Business
Week 1 - Social Media for your Business
In this session, you'll get ready to build your brand with Social Media and develop a Social Media Marketing Plan for your business.
Discover how to build a strong brand—both business and personal—by defining your unique brand, establishing an online presence, and creating a brand that connects and builds trust.
Explore Social Media strategies and how to determine which ones will be the most effective for your target customer.
Apply market research strategies to your business’ target audience.
Become familiar with the popular social media platforms and which one(s) will help you reach your target customer
Building your Brand
Watch the short Ted talk to learn how to craft your personal brand, which you can then apply to your business brand. It's a great starting point!
Social Media Strategies
Social media is crucial for businesses as it offers a powerful platform to connect with customers, build brand awareness, and drive engagement. The video will give you a brief overview of how social media is important for businesses, and below the video, you will see a list of Social Media platforms you can use for your business!
Week 2 - Plan your Business
In this session, you'll learn how to build a website that works for your business.
Discover how to plan and create a website that showcases your brand. Learn how to organize content for a website that’s clear, engaging, and effective.
Find the perfect domain—your online identity—using AI-powered tools.
Craft a compelling "About" page that connects with your audience.
Protect your business by understanding copyright laws and how to avoid violations.
Components of a Business Website
As you may know, there are platforms to make it easy for you to develop your own website. However, even if you're thinking about hiring someone to design and develop your website, the information you need is the same!
Watch the video to get ideas for what to include. It's a bit long at 12 minutes, but it's worth it because it could save you time and money later on.
Overview of Copyright
Let's dive into some key points with the video.
Want to learn more about Websites and Copyrights, enroll in the FREE course today and access more information to help you in your eBusiness journey.
Types of Domains
To learn more about the different types of domains, watch the video from the channel Elegant Themes.
Module 3: Legal and Money Matters
Week 1 - Legal Matters
In this session, you'll learn legal essentials to protect and grow your business.
Explore business structures and find the best fit for your venture.
Understand liability and how it impacts your products or services.
Learn about licenses and permits to keep your business compliant.
Dive deeper into copyright law to protect your brand and content.
How to choose the right structure for your business
Familiarize yourself with the various business structure types such as Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Limited Liability Company (LLC) and Corporation. The 6-minute video, created by How to Start an LLC, offers a brief introduction to the topic, and it is well worth watching!
What licenses and permits do I need for my business?
This video will provide a brief overview of licenses and permits for an online business.
For more information, visit the U.S. Small Business Administration(opens in a new tab) website.
Week 2 - Money Matters
In this session, you'll learn about Money Matters that are important for your business..
Explore online payment, payment processing and the handling of financial transactions for your business.
Get a clear understanding of sales tax and your responsibilities as a business owner.
Discover smart strategies for budgeting, tracking finances, and staying tax compliant.
Take control of your inventory! Learn the difference between inventory control and management, master smart tracking strategies, and explore calculating the cost of goods sold (COGS) using the FIFO method to keep your business running efficiently.
Know the difference between employees and independent contractors to hire the right way.
Digital Payment Options
The video below from GoDaddy will showcase platform options for accepting online payments. The video is geared towards setting up payments on your business websites, but the information is useful for accepting online payments in general.
Inventory Management
Inventory management strategies are essential for managing the flow of goods in an online business efficiently. It is important to note that although they are related, Inventory Management is not the same as Inventory Control.
This video, from Fishbowl, will provide a brief overview of inventory management for a business.
Find more helpful tools and resources by enrolling in the FREE course today and access more information to help you in your eBusiness journey.
Sales Tax Basics
When it comes to sales tax, the word "nexus" is an important term to understand. In the course, we dive into the concept of Nexus and why it's crucial for e-commerce businesses to grasp. To get started, watch the video below from LedgerGurus.
FIFO Inventory Method
Learn how to compute cost of goods sold and ending inventory using the FIFO inventory cost assumption from Edspira.
Module 4: Get Ready to Launch your Business
Week 1 - Build your Website
In this session, you'll get ready to build your website and online presence.
Explore website management and learn how to create a strong digital presence.
Understand hosting options—dedicated, shared, and self-hosting—to choose what’s best for you.
Boost your visibility with powerful SEO strategies to help customers find you online!
Make your website accessible to everyone! Learn how to design a seamless experience for users with disabilities and those facing everyday challenges like bright sunlight or slow internet.
Protect your website and your customers! Learn essential security measures to safeguard against cyber threats, keep sensitive data safe, and build trust with your audience.
Should I hire someone or build the website myself?
This short video will illustrate the pros and cons of building your own website or hiring someone to build your website.
Popular Website Builders
Week 2 - Create your Business Plan
In this session, you'll create your business plan!
Bring your business vision to life! Build on what you've learned—refining your target audience, market research, branding, and mission statement—to complete your Business Plan and map out your path to success!
Get step-by-step guidance with resources to help you craft a strong Business Plan.
Create a Business Plan that stands out! Ensure it’s professional, polished, and easy to read by using a clean format, correct grammar, consistent styling, and clear explanations—even for industry-specific terms.
Explore free templates to inspire and streamline your Business Plan design.
A business plan isn’t just a document you put together once when starting your business. It’s a living, breathing guide for existing businesses – one that business owners should revisit and update regularly.
A thorough, well-written business plan is crucial to obtaining financing. Additionally, it can be used to tell your sales personnel, suppliers and others about your operations and goals.
You have made it this far! Enroll in the FREE course today and access more information, resources, videos, and links to help you in your eBusiness journey.
SEO Basics
This short video will show you some basics of SEO.